6:37PM New York Islanders sign defenceman Brendan Witt to a contract extension.

This is GREAT news for the Islanders as Witt was in the final year of his contract and there was speculation as to what would eventually happen. Witt has been rock solid on the back line being a leader, bringing strength, antagonistic and occasionally rough play for the Islanders. This was a great signing!

Update: I am hearing it is for a two-year extension. More to follow.

Greg Logan confirms it is a two-year deal worth $6-Million in his blog!

The New York Islanders have signed alternate captain Brendan Witt to a two-year contract extension worth $6.0 million. That means the fan-favorite defenseman is under contract through the 2010-2011 season.

“Over the last two seasons, Brendan has been a warrior for us on the ice and a great leader off the ice,” said Islanders General Manager Garth Snow. “We’re thrilled to keep him in an Islanders uniform.”

Added Witt: “My family and I are excited to stay on Long Island for the next three years. We love the community and our fans, and I couldn’t be happier. I want to thank the Islanders organization and the fans for making Long Island our home.”

In his two years with the Islanders, Witt has played in 140 games and has scored three goals with 18 assists for 21 points and a +6 plus/minus rating. More importantly, Witt has been a thorn in the side of some of the top NHL forwards as he is often assigned the role of shutting down the opponent’s top lines.

Originally drafted by Washington in first round (11th overall) in the 1993 NHL Entry Draft, Witt has played a total of 12 seasons in the NHL. In 783 games with Washington, Nashville and the Islanders, Witt has scored a total of 23 goals with 84 assists for 107 points and 1,285 penalty minutes.

Witt was originally signed by the Islanders in July of 2006 to a three-year contract, which was set to expire after the 2008-09 season.

As I mentioned earlier, this was a KEY signing and has really solidified our defensive corps for the foreseeable future. With players like Sutton, Martinek, Streit and now Witt signed for multiple years – there won’t be much changing on the blueline so it means increased chemistry and solidarity – at least with the top two defensive pairings. I think Snow went way above and beyond with this move, another great job!

Good to see Witt making as much as Sutton now! Good job by the Isles here. While I was touting Filatov over Schenn because you can go out and get a shutdown defenseman like Witt or Sutton, it’s nice to actually have them here already.